Abstract
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of compounds that, due to their applications, are considered mainly indoor contaminants. To obtain the first information about the presence of PBDEs in Serbia, dust samples (n = 50) were collected in settlements in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina. The selected/target congeners (BDE-28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, and 183) were extracted from house dust by microwave-assisted extraction technique, and purified extracts were analyzed on a dual-column gas chromatograph with micro-electron capture detectors. A wide range of ΣPBDEs was detected (0.295 to 394 ng g−1 dust), which reflects large differences in contamination among the examined homes. For the majority of samples (72%), ΣPBDEs were lower than 5 ng g−1 indicating that people living in Vojvodina province are exposed to low concentrations of PBDEs present in their households. Based on principal component analysis (PCA), balcony areas and age of the house positively correlate with the PBDE congeners with higher detection frequencies (≥ 50%), namely, with BDE-99, BDE-153, and BDE-183. Statistically significant positive correlation (p < 0.01) was obtained for BDE-99 and the number of household’s members. Estimated daily intakes (EDItot) were calculated for ingestion and dermal absorption of dust for two age groups—adults and toddlers. These are the first data on PBDE status in the area of the Western Balkan, and the health risk assessment indicates that PBDE levels obtained in household dust do not pose a risk for human health.
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Funding
The data presented here are the result of projects financed by Croatian Science Foundation (project no. UIP-2017-05-6713) and the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (project no. 451-03-66/2024-03/200134 and 451-03-65/2024-03/200134). This study was performed using the facilities and equipment funded within the European Regional Development Fund project KK.01.1.1.02.0007 “Research and Education Centre of Environmental Health and Radiation Protection – Reconstruction and Expansion of the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health” and by the European Union–Next Generation EU (Program Contract of 8 December 2023, Class: 643-02/23-01/00016, Reg. no. 533-03-23-0006)-EnvironPollutHealth.
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Marija Dvoršćak: validation, visualization, conceptualization, writing, reviewing, and editing; Jelena Živančev: conceptualization, writing, reviewing, and editing; Karla Jagić: methodology, validation, investigation, writing, reviewing, and editing; Maja Buljovčić: visualization and investigation; Igor Antić: investigation, writing, reviewing, and editing; Nataša Đurišić-Mladenović: writing, reviewing, editing and supervision; Darija Klinčić: conceptualization, visualization, writing–original draft preparation, resources, and supervision.
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Dvoršćak, M., Živančev, J., Jagić, K. et al. Contamination levels, influencing factors, and risk assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in house dust of northern Serbia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 25033–25045 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32836-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32836-7